Early 19th Century Rare Japanese Lantern Clock
Miscellaneous /
Japanese
Inv. #: g151
Maker: Obata Eisuke, 1804.
Size: Clock - 7.5 in.Wall Case - 10 in.Overall - 31 in.
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A very rare c.1804 Japanese striking lantern clock or Yagura-Dokei. It is housed in a glazed black lacquer case decorated with floral scrolls in Aogai shell work and silver six-pedal flower medallions. It could either be hung or supported by the original matching stand.
Case
The black lacquer case is elaborately decorated with scrolling foliage in Aogai shell work and silver six-pedal flower medallions. It has a decorative bracket with a removable glazed hood, a lift out front door and fabric backed ormolu frets. It can be either hung on the wall or supported by the original matching stand. The back of the wall bracket has two old paper labels supporting the provenance.
Dial
The front plate is affixed to the movement by a turned brass knob and is elaborately decorated with raised chrysanthemum flowers. In the center is the rotating dial with a turned outside rim, sunken center, adjustable silvered engraved markers for the temporal 'hours', plain silver markers for the 'half-hour' marks and has an elaborate steel cut pointer that indicates the time. Below are the two apertures for the sexagenarian calendar.
Movement
The weight driven time and strike movement has finely turned and cut brass spoked wheelwork and brass spiked going wheels, steel arbors and pinions, a 'japanese striking' count wheel, a verge escapement, a brass balance wheel with friction set weights and a steel hammer that strikes by torsion on a bell mounted above. The two side doors are hinged from the back, are elaborately decorated with raised chrysanthemum flowers and are secured to the front plate by brass hooks. The back plate is signed and dated in Japanese characters and includes Obata Eisuke, 1804.
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